Arrival
311 Words
Chapter 3: Arrival in Lagos
By sunrise, Tife was already on the bus to Lagos.
As the vehicle sped down the highway, she clutched the mysterious letter in one hand and the old photograph in the other. Sleep refused to come. Every mile brought more questions than answers.
Who had sent the letter?
Why had her mother hidden the truth?
And who was waiting for her in Lagos?
Hours later, the bus rolled into the bustling city.
Lagos was nothing like her quiet hometown.
Cars blared their horns endlessly. Street vendors shouted for customers. People hurried in every direction as though time itself was chasing them.
Tife tightened her grip on her bag.
She had never felt so small.
Just then, her phone rang.
An unknown number flashed across the screen.
Her heart pounded as she answered.
"Hello?"
A familiar deep voice spoke.
"Welcome to Lagos, Tife."
Before she could respond, the call ended.
Her eyes scanned the crowded park.
A sleek black SUV slowly pulled up in front of her.
The back door opened.
Without a word, the same mysterious stranger stepped out.
"Get in," he said calmly.
Fear told her to run.
Curiosity told her to stay.
After a long hesitation, Tife climbed into the vehicle.
The doors locked behind her.
The stranger reached into his pocket and placed a silver pendant in her palm.
The moment she saw it, her breath caught.
It was identical to the one her mother had always worn around her neck.
"How do you have this?" she whispered.
The man's expression darkened.
"Because it belongs to your family."
Tife looked at him in confusion.
"My family?"
He held her gaze for a long, silent moment before speaking the words that shattered everything she believed.
"Tife..."
"The woman who raised you is not your biological mother."
Her world stopped.
"What... did you just say?"
- Writer
